Headlight



June 6, 1933.

C. C. MATERA HEADLIGHT Filed Aug. 19, 1951 INVENTOR.

fill/M155 c. MflTli/I ATTOR EYS.

Patented June 6, 1933 UNITEB STATES CHAR-LES C. MIATEBA, F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT HEADLIGHT Application filed August 19, 1931. Serial No. 558,061.

This invention relates generally to lamps.

or lights and finds particular application in connection with headlights for automobiles and the like, although its use is not limited thereto.

The mm of the present invention is to provide an improved lamp or light wherein the:

reflection or emanation of those rays which tend to cause glare is entirely eliminated. I am aware that various attempts have been made to construct headlights so that none of the rays are directed upwardly with respect to the horizontal focal plane of the lamp, but 7 these various attempts have not been entirely satisfactory largely due to the fact that the diffusion of light from those portions of the reflector closely adjacent to the horizontal,

focal plane have not been eliminated. l have found that the objectionable and annoying.

so teachings of the present invention, a headlight is obtained wherein upward reflect-ion of rays of light is entirely eliminated, only those rays being reflected which fall on the reflecting surface disposed entirely below the horizontal plane of the focal axis of the reflector and all of the reflected rays being directed below the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis of the lamp and which plane includes tee source of illumination.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of eler ments and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown, for illustrative purposes, one embodiment which the present invention may take:

Fig. l is a front view of the headlight, a portion of the usual reflector being diagrammatically shown to illustrate, more clearly, the manner of constructing my improved reflector;

.Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view taken 011 line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal central sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional vi ew taken substantially on line 44: of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 10 designates generally the reflector proper, the same having a reflecting surface 11 highly polished, silvered, or otherwise rendered highly light reflective. This reflector is of concave formation, the curvature being such that, if the source of illumination is at t 116 focal center of the reflector, all rays falling onto the reflector are substantially directed in lines parallel to the focal axis; if the source of illumination is inside the focal center, all rays diverge after reflection (as illustrated in 2) if the source of illumination is outside the focal center, all rays converge after reflection. The reflecting surface may he spherical, parabolic or any other suitable curvature, but, by way of illustration, it may be assumed as being a parabolic surface, the focal axis of which is indicated by the line aa. In accordance with the present invention, the reflecting surface 11 is below and spaced from the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis. The reflector may be constructed by cutting, from a larger parabolic member, a round section or disk disposed to one side of and spaced from the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis of the large parabolic member, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. In this figure, the broken curved line 15 designates the front edge of the large parabolic member, the focal axis of which is indicated by the point 16. The line bb designates the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis of the large parabolic member, while the line 22 indicates the vertical central plane of the large parabolic member. WVhile my improved reflector, in the present mstance, 1s 10 shown as being generally round, it is, of course, understood that the invention is not limited to a reflector of this specific shape. The reflector may be oval or have any other desired configuration, the main consideration being that the effective reflecting surface is disposed below and is spaced from the hori zontal plane passing through the focal axis in which the source of illumination is located.

In the present illustrative disclosure, the reflector 10 comprises the back portion of the shell, and the sides of the shell are formed by a generally cylindrical member 20, the internal surfaces of which are nonaeflecting, as indicated by the shading 21 in the drawing. At the forward edge of the side walls of the reflector is a flange 22 similar to that usually provided in headlights. In order to accommodate the source of illumination, such as the lamp 23, the cylindrical member is provided at its top with a hood portion 24, the sides of which taper down and gradually merge into the circular walls of the cylindrical member, as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 4. The rear wall of the hood is rendered non-reflecting in any suitable manner, as by blackening the same. This is indicated by the shading 25 in Fig. 4. It will he observed that this non-reflecting portion extends below and is spaced from the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis aa which means the reflecting surface 11 does not extend up to the axis but terminates short thereof. The hood 24 has a vertical wall 26 disposed in front of the source of illumination, and this wall crosses the focal axis so as to constitute a barrier which prevents glare which might otherwise result from the direct emanation of rays of light from the source of illumination 23. Obviously, the headlight may be provided with the usual lens which may be clamped against the flange 22, the lens not being shown as it may be of any suitable construction. Preferably, it is so arranged as to spread the light laterally.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that all of the rays emanating from the headlight will be directed either downwardly or horizontally, and none of the rays will be directed upwardly. Thus, all possibility of glare, together with its annoyances, is entirely eliminated. This is particularly true since the effective reflecting surface is disposed entirely below and spaced from the horizontal plane passing through the focal axis of the reflector which includes the source of illumination. The glare zones at each side of the reflector are entirely eliminated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a headlamp, a parabolic reflector having a focal axis, a source of illumination 10- cated'in said axis, a cylinder cutting off a portion of said parabolic reflector and defining a generally circular opening the upper peripheral surface of which is disposed slightly below said focal axis.

2. Means for eliminating glare in a headlamp provided with a parabolic reflector and a source of light located in the focal axis of the reflector comprising a cylinder cutting off a portion of said reflector and providing a generally circular light ray emitting opening having its upper peripheral surface disposed slightly below the horizontal plane containing said focal axis.

CHARLES C. MATERA. 

